Choosing a Wheelie Bin Size Adelaide

Picking the right wheelie bin size is the difference between a clean Saturday and a stressful one. Undersize and you're halfway through the job by Wednesday with a full bin and three more days of stuff to throw. Oversize and you've paid $50 you didn't need to. This is the straight version: three sizes, real load comparisons, and the rule that stops most people picking wrong.

Quick-pick: which size for which job

If you only read one bit, read this:

One room or less, or a tidy-up. 360L, $99. 1 to 1.5 trailer loads, 3 council bins worth, about 0.5 m³ compacted.
Yard, shed, or large room. 660L, $129. 2 to 3 trailer loads, 5 to 6 council bins worth, about 1 m³ compacted.
Garage, single-room reno, or full clearout. 1100L, $179. 4 to 5 trailer loads, 9 to 10 council bins worth, about 1.5 m³ compacted.

All three are 7-day hire, flat price, GST included, delivery and pickup included. If you need it longer, extra days are $5 per bin per day. The full comparison is on the prices page.

Wheelie bins, not skips: why size works differently

Before the size choice, the bin type matters. These are wheelie bins, not skip bins. The practical effect: no council permit, no flatbed truck to drop, no verge fee, no traffic management. The bin rolls on wheels, sits flat against the house on your own property, and goes down the side gate. Around 80cm wide on the 360L, around 1.1m on the 1100L.

Because the bin rolls in on its own wheels, it fits down paths that a skip can't reach. That changes which size you want: you don't need to over-order to make a single truck-drop worth it. Order the size that fits the job. The full side-by-side is in the skip bin vs wheelie bin post.

The 360L in real terms ($99)

The 360L holds about 1 to 1.5 trailer loads. Roughly 3 of the big council kerbside bins back to back. Packed sensibly it's around half a cubic metre of compacted waste. It's the same width as a council bin (about 80cm), so it goes down even tight side gates.

This size is right for:

End-of-lease on a 1 or 2-bedroom flat
A single room declutter: a kid's old bedroom, a study, a guest room
A wardrobe or pantry clear-out
A weekend garden tidy: prunings, dead plants, garden hose
A small post-storm cleanup: a few broken branches and a damaged garden chair

It's not right for a reno or a garage. If you're ripping out cabinetry or clearing accumulated stuff from years, skip the 360L. Full breakdown in the 360L hire post.

The 660L in real terms ($129)

The 660L is the middle size and does the heaviest lifting in our fleet. Roughly 2 to 3 trailer loads, 5 to 6 council bins worth, about a cubic metre of compacted waste. Footprint is about 1.2m long by 80cm wide, around 1.2m tall. Still fits down most Adelaide side gates.

This is the right size for:

A proper yard tidy: years of garden growth, broken outdoor furniture, an old kid's playset
A back-shed or carport clean-out
End-of-lease on a 3-bedroom house
One bathroom strip-out
A serious decluttering: 2 or 3 rooms across a weekend
A full post-storm yard cleanup

The 660L is the "don't want to think about it again" size. For around $30 more than the 360L it gives you double the volume. If you're between the 360L and 660L, the 660L is usually the right call.

The 1100L in real terms ($179)

The 1100L is the biggest size we hire and the one for real cleanouts. About 4 to 5 trailer loads, 9 to 10 council bins worth, around 1.5 cubic metres of compacted waste. Footprint around 1.4m long by 1.1m wide, 1.4m tall. Needs about a 1m minimum gap to roll in.

This size is built for:

A garage clearout: a proper one, years of accumulated bits
A single-room reno: kitchen, bathroom or laundry strip-out plus the new fit-out packaging
A downsize or estate clear: getting a whole house empty in a week
A big yard transformation: a full landscape redo
A week of light builder waste (timber offcuts, plasterboard, packaging, carpet)

If you're doing real renovation work on an ongoing basis rather than a single-week burst, the builders bin is the better setup ($99 per collection or $149 per exchange, only light construction waste). Full detail on the 1100L hire post.

The size-up rule

The single best piece of advice: when you're between two sizes, take the bigger one. Always. Across hundreds of bookings the most common complaint is "I should've got the next size up" and the least common is "the bin was too big".

$30 to $50 once is cheaper than booking a second bin halfway through the week. It's also cheaper in stress, because once the rubbish is piled up next to a full bin, your weekend's shape changes. When in doubt, size up.

Mapping common Adelaide jobs to a size

Here's the practical mapping for the jobs we see most:

Kitchen reno (3-bed house, full strip-out plus packaging from new fit-out): 1100L.
Bathroom strip-out only: 660L (1100L if you're doing the laundry at the same time).
Single bedroom clear: 360L.
Garage clearout (real one, packed garage): 1100L.
Garden shed clear: 660L.
Yard tidy (one season worth of growth): 360L. Yard tidy (several years of overgrowth): 660L.
End-of-lease, 1 or 2-bed flat: 360L.
End-of-lease, 3-bed house: 660L.
End-of-lease, 4-bed house or big share house: 1100L.
Downsize: clearing mum and dad's house ready for sale: 1100L (sometimes two booked back-to-back).
Hoarder house first pass: 1100L, usually. Ring us, sometimes a builders bin on exchange works better.
Post-storm cleanup, small: 360L. Big (whole tree down): 660L or 1100L.
Builder rough-in waste, one week: 1100L, or the builders bin if you're running a longer site.
Function, market, or community event: 660L colour-coded waste/recycling bins. See event hire.
CBD office strip-out or fitout: Quoted per project. See high-rise & office bins.

Access: the second thing to check

Once you've picked a size on volume, check it'll physically get to where you want it. Most Adelaide homes are fine, but a few things stop the bin:

Side gate width. 80cm minimum for the 360L. About 1m for the 660L. About 1m+ for the 1100L. Measure narrow points.
Steps. A single step the bin can roll over. A flight of stairs is a hard stop.
Loose gravel or sand. Wheels bog down. Concrete, paving, brick paving, or compacted dirt are all fine.
Driveway slope. Most Adelaide driveways are fine. A really steep one (a lot of the hills properties) is worth checking, ring us if you're unsure.
Parking for the truck on drop. The truck needs a normal kerbside spot for 5 minutes. Suburban streets are almost always fine. Tight inner-city laneways, mention it in the booking.

For most of metro Adelaide (the standard 600-900m² blocks across Charles Sturt, West Torrens, Marion, Mitcham, Burnside, Norwood Payneham St Peters, Prospect, Port Adelaide Enfield, Tea Tree Gully, Onkaparinga) any of the three sizes will roll in fine. The places that need a second thought are the older inner-suburbs with narrow blue-stone side paths, and the steep hills blocks. If you're not sure, snap a photo of the side path and send it through, or check the FAQ.

What can't go in any size

The size doesn't change the rules on what goes in. Across all three sizes you can't put in asbestos, soil or fill, bricks, concrete or rubble, liquid paint, oil, batteries, gas bottles, tyres, or bulk food waste. That's a weight-and-safety thing for the truck and the driver. A bin full of soil weighs more than the lift can take.

Full rundown is on the what can go in a hire bin post. If you've got mixed waste with some of the no-go stuff, ring us first.

How long do you need it

7 days is the standard hire and it suits most jobs. You can stretch it at $5 per bin per day if you need an extra weekend, no drama. If you want the full hire-length explanation, the how long can you hire a bin post covers it.

Ready to pick

Most people land on the 660L or the 1100L. The 360L is right for a properly small job. Whatever size fits, pick a delivery date on the 7-day hire page or head straight through to book online. If you want the whole service rundown in one place, the full services list covers 7-day hire, event hire, builders bins and project bins.

Book online